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It may not be 100% accurate, but it is completely interesting

SAINT MATTHEW THE APOSTLE

September 21
from The Golden Legend

Matthew was also called Levi. Matthew is interpreted a gift hastily given, or a giver of counsel. Or it comes from magnus, great, and Theos, God, meaning great unto God, or from manus, hand, and Theos, meaning the hand of God. For Matthew was a gift hastily given by reason of his speedy conversion, a giver of counsel by his salutary preaching, great unto God by the perfection of his life and the hand of God by his writing of the Gospel. Levi is interpreted assumed, or united, or added, or attached; for he was assumed from the exaction of the taxes, united to the apostles, added to the number of the evangelists, and attached to the catalogue of the martyrs.

While Matthew the apostle was preaching in Ethiopia, in a city called Nadaber, he found two magicians named Zaroes and Arphaxat, who so deluded men by their sorceries that they lost the use of their limbs and their reason, whereat the magicians were so filled with pride that they made men worship them as gods. Matthew, having found hostel in the house of that eunuch of Queen Candace who was baptized by Philip, unmasked the magicians' tricks in such wise that whatsoever they wrought to the harm of men, he converted to their welfare.

The eunuch asked Saint Matthew how he was able to speak and understand so many tongues. In answer, Matthew explained to him that when the Holy Ghost came upon the apostles, He gave knowledge of all tongues, so that, as those who had sought from pride to build a tower reaching to Heaven had been stayed therefrom by the confusion of tongues, so by the knowledge of tongues the apostles might build a tower, not of stones but of virtues, whereby all who believed might mount to Heaven.

Then came one who announced that the magicians were approaching with two dragons, which belched forth a sulphurous fire from their mouths and nostrils, and slew all within reach. The apostle, arming himself with the sign of the cross, went out to them confidently; and as soon as the dragons saw him, they fell asleep at his feet. Then said he to the sorcerers: 'Where then is your skill! Awaken them if you can: for had I not prayed the Lord, I should have turned upon you the bale which you thought to inflict upon me!' And when the populace gathered together, he commanded the dragons in the name of Jesus to go away, and they went off, harming no one.

Then the apostle preached a wondrous sermon to the people concerning the earthly paradise. He said that it was higher than all mountains and near to Heaven; no thorns or brambles grew therein, nor did the lilies and the roses wittier; there was no old age, all men remaining ever young; there the angels made sweet music, and the birds came at one's call. He said that man had been driven out of the earthly paradise, but that by the birth of Christ all were called again to the heavenly Paradise.

As he spoke these things to the people, a loud cry of mourning broke out for the king's son, who had died. When the sorcerers were unable to raise him to life, they persuaded the king that his son had been taken up into the company of the gods, and that he should build a temple and make an image in his honour. But the aforementioned eunuch caused the magicians to be taken prisoners, and summoned the apostle, who prayed over the youth and restored him to life. At this the king, whose name was Egippus, sent heralds throughout his realm, proclaiming: 'Come and see God hiding in the form of a man!' They came therefore with golden crowns and divers kinds of victims, wishing to sacrifice to him. But Matthew forbade them, saying: 'Men, what do ye? I am not a god, but the servant of Jesus Christ!' At his command they then used their offerings of gold and silver to build a great church, which they erected within thirty days; and in this church the apostle presided for three and thirty years, and converted all of Egypt to the faith; and King Egippus was baptized with his wife and all the people. The apostle also dedicated the king's daughter Ephigenia to God, and set her over more than two hundred virgins.

Some time later Hirtacus succeeded the king, and, lusting after the virgin Ephigenia, promised the apostle the half of his kingdom if he would prevail upon her to become his wife. The apostle answered that, following the usage of his predecessor, he should come to the church on the following Sunday, and there, in the presence of Ephigenia and the other virgins, hear how good was godly matrimony. Thither the king hastened with joy, thinking that the apostle meant to urge Ephigenia to marry. Matthew therefore preached for a long time to the virgins and the assembled populace concerning the good of matrimony; wherefore he was much praised by the king, Then, commanding silence, the apostle continued: Since marriage is a good thing, ve who are present well know that if a servant dared to molest the king's spouse, he would deserve not only the king's displeasure, but death besides; and this not because he wished to take a wife, but because he violated the king's marriage by carrying off his wife. And thou, 0 king, who knowest that Ephigenia is espoused to the eternal King, how canst thou purloin the spouse of One mightier than thou, and take her to wife?'

When he heard these words, the king was consumed with rage, and went out of the church, while the apostle, intrepid and unmoved, exhorted all to patience and constancy, and blessed Ephigenia and the other virgins, who had prostrated themselves in his feet. After the Mass the king sent a swordsman, who came behind Matthew as he stood at the altar with his hands raised to Heaven in prayer, drove his sword into his back, and so consummated the apostle's martyrdom.

When the populace heard these tidings, they ran to the king's palace to set it afire, but were restrained by the priests and deacons and made gladsome celebration for the saint's martyrdom. Meanwhile the king could not bend Ephigenia to his will, either by matrons whom he despatched to her, or by the artifices of the magicians. He therefore heaped up a great fire about her house in order to destroy her and the other virgins; but the apostle appeared to them, and warded the flames from the house, and it swept the royal palace and burned it to the ground, the king and his only son barely escaping. Thereupon the king's son was seized by the Devil, and sped to the apostle's tomb, loudly proclaiming his father's sins; while the infamous father was stricken with an incurable leprosy, and killed himself with his own sword.

The people then chose Ephigenia's brother, who had been baptized by the apostle, to be their king. He reigned for seventy years, and then gave his throne to his son. He enhanced the Christian worship lavishly, and filled the whole province of Egypt with the churches of Christ. As for Zaroes and Arphaxat, they fled to Persia the very day that Matthew raised the king's son to life, but there Simon and Jude vanquished them.

The Spirit of V2 is in the LETTER of V2

Pontiff and Monarch Meet

 

                                                                                                                             

We adore Thee O Christ and we praise Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world

 

Feast of the Holy Cross

Today, Holy Mother Church celebrates the Finding and the the Exaltation of the Cross of Christ. Both events occured three centuries apart. The Mediaeval tale of the Golden Legend tells of the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, Empress and mother of the Emperor Constantine, in 326, and of the return of the Cross by the Christian Emperor Heraclius in 629 after it had been stolen by the Persian King Chosroes in 613.

PRE-HISTORY LEGEND OF THE CROSS:

Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Cast out of Garden of Paradise. After Cain killed Abel, Adam and Eve had another son, Seth, who placed some seeds from the Tree of Life into the mouth of his father Adam when he died and was buried.


A sapling grew from the grave and a great tree formed. From the branch of that tree, Moses got his staff which he used to part the waters of the Red Sea.

After his death, the staff was taken by Aaron and buried with him. It grew into another tree which King David used in his royal garden.

Cut down for Solomon’s Temple, it would not fit and was cast aside and thrown into a lake. The wood floated to the top and became a natural bridge.

The Queen of Sheba was unable to cross the bridge and had to take off her shoes and wade through the stream. She convinced King Solomon to take the wood and use it as a lintel over the doorway to the Temple. He did this and covered the wood with gold and silver.

His wicked grandson, Abijah, stripped the gold and silver and jewels from the wood and cast it into the water again. This time the wood transformed the waters into the healing pool of Bethesda.

At the time of the Crucifixion, it floated to the top and was washed ashore where a Roman soldier fashioned it into the Cross upon which Christ would be crucified.

It is said that the cross was made out of four kinds of wood, namely, palmwood, cedar, cypress, and olivewood. Hence the verse:

Ligna crucis palma, cedrus, cypressus, oliva.

There were four wooden parts to the cross-the upright shaft, the crossbeam, the tablet above, and the block into which the cross was fixed, or, as Gregory of Tours says, the crosspiece that supported Christ's feet. Hence each of these parts might be made of any of the kinds of wood enumerated above.

FINDING THE CROSS LEGEND:

Roman soldiers found three crosses buried and took them forthwith to the queen (St. Helena). Since they had no way of distinguishing Christ's cross from those of the thieves, they placed them in the centre of the city and waited for the Lord to manifest his glory; and behold! At about the ninth hour the body of a young man was being carried past, and Judas halted the cortege. He held the first cross and the second over the body, but nothing happened. Then he extended the third cross, and the dead man immediately came back to life. In the histories of the Church we also read that when one of the leading women in the city lay close to death, Macarius, the bishop of Jerusalem, brought in first one and then another of the crosses, to no effect; but when he placed the third beside the lady, she opened her eyes at once and rose up cured.

The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is solemnly celebrated by the Church because on that day the Christian faith itself was exalted to the heights. In the year A.D. 615, the Lord allowing his people to be scourged by the savagery of the pagans, Chosroes, king of the Persians, subjected all the earth's kingdoms to his rule. When he came to Jerusalem, however, he withdrew in fear from the sepulchre of the Lord but took away a piece of the holy cross that Saint Helena had left there. Chosroes wanted to be worshiped as God. He built a gold and silver tower studded with jewels, and placed in it images of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Bringing water to the top of the tower through hidden pipes, he poured down water as God pours rain, and in an underground cave he had horses pulling chariots around in a circle to shake the tower and produce a noise like thunder. Then he abdicated his kingdom in favour of his son and, profane as he was, settled himself in the tower as in a fane, put the Lord's cross at his side, and decreed that all should call him God. Indeed, we read in the book On the Mitral Office that he sat on a throne in the shrine as the Father, put the wood of the cross on his right in place of the Son, and a cock on his left in place of the Holy Spirit. He commanded that he be called the Father.

RESTORATION OF THE CROSS

Emperor Heraclius now marshalled a large army and marched against the son of Chosroes to confront him at the Danube River. Finally the two princes agreed to meet in single combat on the bridge that crossed the river, the victor to take over the empire, both armies being spared any damage. It was also decreed that anyone who came to the assistance of his prince would have his legs and arms cut off and be thrown into the river.

Heraclius offered himself totally to God and commended himself to the holy cross with all the devotion of which he was capable. The two princes fought for a long time, and the Lord granted victory to Heraclius, who thus made the opposing army subject to his command, with the result that all Chosroes's people acknowledged the Christian faith and received holy baptism. Chosroes himself knew nothing of the outcome of the war, because he was hated by all and no one told him about it.

Heraclius journeyed to Chosroes and found him seated on his golden throne. He said to him: "Because you have honoured the wood of the holy cross in your own way, you will be spared your life and your reign on condition that you accept the Christian faith and receive baptism, a few hostages being taken as guarantee. If on the other hand, you consider this beneath you, I will kill you with my sword and cut off your head." Chosroes refused the offer and Heraclius promptly decapitated him; but, since he had been a king, he was given suitable burial. Heraclius found the king's son, a child ten years of age, with him. He had the boy baptised and with his own hands lifted him from the font, then left his father's kingdom to him. But he demolished the tower and allotted the silver to his army as spoils of war, reserving the gold and the jewels for the rebuilding of the churches the tyrant had destroyed.

Now Heraclius carried the sacred cross back to Jerusalem. He rode down the Mount of Olives, mounted on his royal palfrey and arrayed in imperial regalia, intending to enter the city by the gate through which Christ had passed on his way to crucifixion. But suddenly the stones of the gateway fell down and locked together, forming an unbroken wall. To the amazement of everyone, an angel of the Lord, carrying a cross in his hands, appeared above the wall and said: "When the King of heaven passed through this gate to suffer death, there was no royal pomp. He rode a lowly ass, to leave an example of humility to his worshipers." With those words the angel vanished.

The emperor shed tears, took off his boots and stripped down to his shirt, received the cross of the Lord into his hands, and humbly carried it toward the gate. The hardness of the stones felt the force of a command from heaven, and the gateway raised itself from the ground and opened wide to allow passage to those entering. And a most sweet odour, which, from the day and moment when the sacred cross was taken out of Chosroes's tower, had glided across the far reaches of land from Persia to Jerusalem, now made itself felt, and refreshed with the wonder of its perfume all who sensed it. Then the truly devout emperor burst forth in praise of the cross: "O cross, more splendid than all the heavenly bodies, renowned throughout the world, deserving of all men's love, holier than all things else! O cross, you were worthy to carry the ransom of the world! O sweet wood, sweet nails, sweet sword, sweet lance, you were the bearer of sweet burdens! Save the host gathered today in praise of you and signed with your banner!"

Thus it was that the precious cross was brought back to its place, and the miracles of old began again: dead men were raised to life, four paralytics were cured, ten lepers were made clean, fifteen blind people received their sight, demons were driven out, and great numbers were delivered of various infirmities. Heraclius also repaired the churches and endowed them richly. Then he went back to his own land.



Wannabe a state executioner?

Wannabe a state executioner?

ad multos annos

Most Rev. Joseph P. McFadden

10th Bishop of Harrisburg

Yesterday, I attended the installation Mass of my new Bishop. It was a magnificent Mass, reverent, elegant and very Catholic. The sanctuary was completely full of bishops and eparchs from the Latin and Eastern Catholic churches. HUNDREDS of priests from the Diocese of Harrisburg and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia filled half the pews with another large showing of Deacons and consecrated religious. The other half of the cathedral held the family, friends and lay faithful. The sublime sacred liturgy was followed by a formal and exquisite supper at the Radisson Hotel. I saw several friends from the Archdiocese as well as newly consecrated Bishop David O'Connell, Coadjutor of Trenton, NJ, and seminary schoolmate Bishop William Skurla, Eparch of Passaic, NJ.

My mom watched the Mass on EWTN but had to spend part of the day at the doctor's office. She still needs your prayers for her heart and for her diabetes as both are serious conditions for her in addition to her chronic back pain.

Here is the Bishop's homily from his installation:

Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever! It is with these words that I
greet you as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg and ask that you
pray for me that all that I do may be pleasing to the Lord and always be
directed as a work of praise to the Lord Jesus Christ.


I am deeply grateful to our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for his
confidence in appointing me as the tenth Bishop of Harrisburg. I have
assured him of my gratitude and promised him my loyalty, my prayers and
my support as he continues his work of leading the Church as the Vicar of
Christ.


I say a special word of thanks today to Archbishop Sambi, the Papal
Nuncio to the United States, who is the representative of the Holy Father
and who honors us with his presence here this afternoon. Archbishop, I
thank you for the support you have given to me and continue to give to all
the Bishops of the United States and I am especially grateful that you have
taken the time to be with me and the Church in Harrisburg this afternoon. I
assure you that the people of Harrisburg will keep you in our prayers as you
continue the important work of representing the Holy Father in the United
States.


I thank in a special way today Cardinal Rigali, the Metropolitan
Archbishop of Philadelphia who ordained me a Bishop, is presiding at this
installation ceremony and who I have been privileged to work with for the
past 6 years as his Auxiliary Bishop. Your Eminence you have been a
wonderful mentor and friend and have modeled what it means to be a good
shepherd for one’s flock. I am eternally grateful for all of your support
through the years and I look forward to working closely with you as my
Metropolitan Archbishop.


I am truly humbled by the presence of Cardinals Foley and Keeler, the
other Archbishops and Bishops who have come to join in this celebration and
all of the priests, deacons, consecrated men and women religious, family
and friends and wonderful people of the Diocese of Harrisburg who are with
us for this important moment in the life of the Church in Harrisburg.
I am privileged to celebrate this first Eucharist in this beautiful Cathedral
of St. Patrick and to share with you some thoughts on the word of God that
has been proclaimed in this liturgy. As you know the Eucharist is the center
point of our Catholic faith. Our late Holy Father Pope John Paul II in the last
letter that he wrote to the Church before he died entitled “Ecclesia de
Eucharistia” reminded us that we are the Church of the Eucharist. It is in the
Eucharist that we find our identity and our destiny. Our identity is the
privilege of being sons and daughters of God. It is in the Eucharist that Jesus
feeds us with His body and Blood so that He may live in us and we may live
in Him and truly be God’s people.


Our Holy Father pointed out that in the Eucharist all of space and time
are brought together. In the Eucharist we are transported back to that
moment in time when Jesus offered Himself on the cross for our sins and the
sins of the whole world. When we assist at the Eucharist we have the great
privilege of attaching ourselves to this unique sacrifice in such a way that we
now become part of the only acceptable sacrifice to God our Father and thus
are opened to communion and participation in the very life of God. In the
Eucharist Jesus continues to give us a share in His divine life so that we have
an eternal destiny and an eternal future. In feeding us with His body and
blood we are given the grace necessary to live the Christian life as God
intends.


I point this out this afternoon because I believe one of the challenges
that I must confront as a Bishop in the Church today is the diminished
appreciation of Catholics for the importance of the Sunday Eucharist in their
lives. St. John Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests, often remarked to
his people in Ars that if we truly understood the Eucharist and the great gift
that God was offering us we would not only seek it once a week but would
long for it constantly.


It is in the Eucharist that we see the fulfillment of the promise Jesus
made to His disciples when He ascended to the Father and assured them
that He would be with them and with His Church until the end of time. It is
important for all of us to understand that we do not have a God who is far
distant from us but one who is very close to us and who desires to live in us.
In doing so He calls us to help Him to build His kingdom. This is really the
task and work of the Church in Harrisburg. God calls us to be His people
here in this place at this time and this moment in history.


He asks us to not be afraid to live our lives based on the gospel values
that Jesus teaches us. So often in the Scripture Jesus says to the disciples
and to you and me today “Do not be afraid”. This is the message that I bring
as your new shepherd. Let us not be afraid to share our faith in the Lord
Jesus with all of the people of the 15 counties of the Diocese of Harrisburg.
Like St. Paul in his admonition to St. Timothy in our second reading for
today’s liturgy I ask that all of us stir into flame the gift God bestowed upon
us in our baptism. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that dwells in the hearts of
all believers allowing us to truly be God’s people. Paul points out that this
spirit is not a cowardly spirit but rather one that makes us strong, loving and
wise.


He also encourages us to be willing to bear our fair share of the
hardships that come with living out the gospel. This is often a difficult
message for us to hear and to understand because being a disciple of Jesus
does entail a willingness to take up our cross and follow Him. This does not
mean that we run around looking for hardships or crosses to bear. If we
truly live the gospel we will find more than enough to keep us occupied.
We are living in a culture that often rejects the fact that there is a God
who created us and who has established in His creation certain truths that
do not depend upon the will or the whim of the created. If we live by these
truths we will find opposition but we cannot deny these truths. One of these
is the right to life. We are a people who proclaim that God is the author of all
life human and divine. We must be a people that respect human life from the
moment of conception until natural death. We must not be timid about this
truth and we must do all in our power to help our brothers and sisters in the
world to grow in their appreciation of this truth.


We also live in a time when society would like to redefine the concept of
family and of the institution of marriage that finds its origin in God and was
established by God. It is God who willed that we be created male and female
and that the two should become one flesh. In doing so He established a set
purpose for our sexual faculties which are ordered to the intimate sharing of
our very being with the other opening to a participation in the creative
power of God in bringing about new life. To proclaim this truth today
requires courage and strength. In doing so we face the potential for rejection
just as the Lord Jesus encountered rejection in proclaiming the truth.
We must also be willing to follow the Lord in making reparation to God
for our own sins and the sins of others. We can do this through our prayers
and our good works. It is also important for us to recapture our appreciation
for the wonderful sacrament of reconciliation. This sacrament that has fallen
into disuse by so many of our people is a tragedy that needs to be corrected.
In the sacrament of reconciliation our God desires to draw us away from the
evil that is so detrimental to us and to restore us to the goodness that He
has placed within each of us. In this sacrament we must realize that the Lord
says to us what he said to the woman caught in adultery and was about to
be put to death. After writing in the sand it was only she and the Lord. The
Lord asked “is there no one here to condemn you”. She answered, “Only you
Lord”. Jesus said “I do not condemn you but go and sin no more”. What
wonderful words to hear. I do not condemn you but go and sin no more.
Why would we not want to hear these words for ourselves in the sacrament
of reconciliation? It is also important to understand that during our earthly
life Jesus is always our merciful savior generously offering his forgiveness
unconditionally for those who will acknowledge their sins. At the end of our
life when we pass through the doorway of death Jesus must become the just
judge when He must be true to Himself and meet out justice. It behooves us
to claim His mercy now especially by frequent use of the sacrament of
reconciliation.


While we are speaking about sins and the mercy of God I do want to
address for a moment the terrible sin of clergy sexual abuse that has
occurred in the Church in recent years. To those who are victims especially
here in Harrisburg I express my deepest sympathy for what you have
endured. In the name of the Church I apologize for this terrible injustice that
was committed against you. The way that it was dealt with in the Church
was wrong and we are sorry. I assure you, the victims, that you have my
deepest love and concern and I will do all in my power to see that no such
tragedy occurs again in the Church. I do have an image that I want to
convey to you and it is the image of the Sorrowful Mother Mary holding her
battered and beaten Son after the terrible crucifixion that he underwent at
the hands of ruthless people. Though He was innocent He was defiled. Please
know I desire to hold you as Mary held her innocent son. I pray that in time
you will experience the Resurrection in your own life and that your wounds
will be healed.


In this liturgy we are using the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Image
and Mother of the Church. It is especially appropriate that during this Marian
Year in the Diocese that we should contemplate and look to Mary as the
model for our life and as the loving Mother that will journey with us as she
journeyed with her Son, Jesus throughout His life. As we heard in the Gospel
for this Mass it was Jesus who gave Mary to us as our mother. She is the
one who brought Jesus to the world and she is the one who continues to
direct us to her Son. She is a great intercessor for us and throughout the
course of my life I have been the beneficiary of her intercession and her help
more times than I can possibly count.


We also know that Mary is honored under the title of Our Lady of Hope.
She teaches us that we must always be a people of hope and always trust
that our loving God will sustain and accomplish His work in us if we will only
remain faithful to Him and to His promises. It is my prayer that we the
people of the Church in Harrisburg will always be a people full of hope. We
live in a world today where there are many individuals who have lost hope.
We know this because we see in the media stories of suicides, violence, drug
and alcohol abuse and so many other stories that can drain us of our zest for
life. There are many in our own area that suffer as a result of the economic
downturn and can despair that things will ever turn around or get better. I
want you to know that we are not abandoned or alone. The Lord is with us.
He will accomplish great things in us if we allow Him to work in and through
us. Let us be a sign of hope for all the people who live within the confines of
the Diocese of Harrisburg. May they see in us a bright light shining in the
darkness that will lead them as Mary did to the God who never fails us.
Finally my good people in the Diocese of Harrisburg, I ask you to pray for
me that I may be a good shepherd after the heart of Jesus. Pray that
together we may be good builders of the Kingdom of God here in Harrisburg.
Pray that we will have the courage to invite others to embrace our faith in
Jesus. Pray that I may be able to encourage those who have grown lax in
their faith to rediscover the great gift that God has given to us in His Son
Jesus and the great treasure that He has left us in the Eucharist. It is my
prayer that all of us will look to Mary as the model for our life and that Jesus
will always be at the center of all that we say and do.

God Grant Him Many Years

Bishop David O'Connell, CM, JCD, DD

Friday, His Excellency, Bishop David O'Connell was consecrated Coadjutor Bishop of Trenton, NJ.  Unfortunately, prior parish commitments prevented me from attending the ordination, but I watched the televised rebroadcast on EWTN that same evening. I have been blessed to have personally known a few priests of my generation who have been elevated to the episcopacy, both the Latin and Byzantine Churches. Like my former bishop, the Most Rev. Kevin Rhoades (now bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend), Dave O'Connell, was someone I always knew would be become a successor of the apostles. As a priest and seminary professor, he was (and still remains) totally and completely orthodox in his doctrine and a man of devout prayer. Never a fudd-duddy, Bishop O'Connell has a healthy, robust and infectious sense of humor while at the same time possessing a profound loyalty, reverence and sacerdotal piety. His love for Holy Mother Church and for the Blessed Virgin Mary made him one of my favorite profs. I was honored that he preached my first Mass at my diaconal parish, St. Gregory the Great, Lebanon, PA, on May 22, 1988, the feast and solemnity of Pentecost.

O'Connell's appointment by the Holy Father and his recommendation by Archbishop Pietro Sambi are not just evidence of their confidence in his abilities, they are also a sign to us priests and to all the faithful that the Pope and his Nuncio take seriously the selection of diocesan shepherd. While he has had an extended career in Catholic education (seminary and university alike), he has also served in diocesan tribunals and in parish ministry as well. A staunch defender of EX CORDE ECCLESIAE, Bishop O'Connell also restored a distinct Catholic identity to CUA during his presidency. One can see that this was no political appointment. This was truly a pastoral decision. A canon lawyer, an educator, an administrator and certainly a TEACHER, Dave O'Connell is, was, and always will be a GOOD and HOLY PRIEST. That is the caliber of episcopacy that will enable the USA and the world to not just survive the scandals of the proximate past, but will also empower the church to become stronger and more vibrant in the years to come. No one could ever accuse this man of being a 'bureaucrat' and never a 'sycophant'.  Whatever his assignments, he served with honor and integrity. I hope and pray that one day Bishop O'Connell will also be Cardinal O'Connell because the universal church could use his talents and gifts at future conclave. The priests and people of Trenton are truly blessed and I wish him God's choicest blessing.

AD MULTOS ANNOS

TU ES SACERDOS MAGNUS

Prayer Request

Sorry for the brief hiatus from the blogoshere. I was in Erie all last week to visit my mom and to preach the Days of Prayer Novena for the discalced Carmelite nuns (also in Erie). My mom was admitted to the hospital yesterday to have an EKG. She had an MRI and CAT scan last month which came back negative for stroke (Deo gratias). However, she has been having dizzy spells and has fallen several times. Her doctors suspect that is is her meds for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and glaucoma. All this week she has been fatigued, so the ECG was done to see if she has a heart murmur.

Needless to say, I appreciate any and all prayers for my mother. She buried three of her five children and then her loving husband of 39 years. Then four of her six siblings died in just a sequence of several months.

Being the head nurse of the Trauma Center / Emergency Room for more than 40 years did large damage to her spine, so she is also on cortisone shots to help alleviate some of the chronic pain she experiences in addition to her other ailments. While home last week, she fell at the Novena and hit her head.  I am stationed more than 300 miles away in another diocese.

I visited Father Bob Levis (who also lives in Erie).  He is in a nursing home. Needs a walker to get around since his nasty fall at Christmas time which gave him a cuncushion.  Since then, he fell a few more times. Fr. Bob turned 89 this summer and is still very much alive but has been grounded for health reasons. Hence, you won't see him on EWTN as much or at conferecences, workshops or conventions but know he is still very much among the living but in need of your prayers. He has never been so confined and constrained from getting around. He has been independent 88 years and now he needs assisted living.

Thank you and God bless you and Mary keep you

Father John Trigilio

Priests must not use vocation as social stepping stone, cautions Benedict XVI :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Priests must not use vocation as social stepping stone, cautions Benedict XVI :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Vatican City, Jun 21, 2010 / 12:59 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- During Pope Benedict's homily for the ordination of 14 priests on Sunday for the Diocese of Rome, he emphasized that the vocation of the priesthood, must not be viewed as a way to achieve social status in life, but rather as a way to “rediscover the ever-new face” of Christ.


In his homily for the ordination, which took place Sunday morning in St. Peter's Basilica, the Holy Father cautioned that the priesthood “must never represent a way to achieve security in life or to attain social position”

“Anyone who aspires to the priesthood in order to increase his personal prestige and power has radically misunderstood the significance of this ministry,” explained the Pope.

He noted that if a priest's main goal is to “achieve success,” he will say “what people want to hear” and “adapt to changing fashions and opinions.”

“In this way, he will deprive himself of the vital relationship with truth, reducing himself to condemning tomorrow what he praises today,” Benedict XVI warned.

"A priest who sees his ministry in these terms,” he continued, “does not truly love God and neighbor, he loves only himself and, paradoxically, ends up by losing himself.” The vocation of the priesthood “is founded on the courage to say yes to another will, with the daily-growing awareness that” by “conforming ourselves to the will of God ... we increasingly enter into the truth of our being and our ministry.”

Pope Benedict also encouraged the priests to “rediscover the ever-new face” of Christ through prayer.

“Only one who has an intimate relationship with the Lord can be seized by Him, can bring Him to others, can become His envoy. This involves a kind of 'remaining with Him' which must always accompany, and be the core of, priestly ministry, also and above all during moments of difficulty when it seems that 'the things to be done' must take priority.

“Wherever we are, whatever we do, we must always 'remain with Him'."

The Pontiff drew his homily to a close by asking God to give the priests the grace “to be able to live this ministry coherently and generously, everyday."

Copyright © CNA (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/)

Cardinal Bertone says mission of priest is to 'bring Heaven down to Earth' :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Cardinal Bertone says mission of priest is to 'bring Heaven down to Earth' :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Vatican City, Jul 7, 2010 / 08:32 pm (CNA).- Celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood at a recent Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said the mission of the priest is “to bring heaven down to earth, to bring about the communion of all men and women with God.”


During his homily at the July 6 Mass in Rome, the cardinal explained that the mission of the priest “consists in giving hope to people, in proclaiming that God is good, in alleviating the sorrows of the afflicted, in bringing the meaning of heaven to those who overwhelmed by the tribulations of this earth.”

“As a priest and bishop many times I have experienced the beauty and strength of the Gospel of Jesus, which is truly capable of changing the lives of people,” Cardinal Bertone noted. “In order to understand the live of a priest, one doesn’t necessarily need to ask what a priest does, but rather who a priest is.”

A priest, explained the prelate, “is someone in love with Jesus Christ, his friend.”

“I have also increasingly experienced in these 50 years that the priesthood is an intimate relationship of friendship with Jesus,” he added. “This divine presence has accompanied me and protected me always.”

The cardinal then pointed to Pope Benedict XVI as a “luminous example” of the priesthood and someone who calls on priests to deepen their friendship with Jesus and exhorts them that “ecclesial communion is the basis for an incisive evangelical testimony.”

“When I think of the Church,” he continued, “I think if the faces and names of so many people I have met, appreciated and have strengthened me to serve with my priesthood: beloved priests and so many exemplary priests, faithful religious, generous and strong laypeople, families united together who bear witness to love, young people and the elderly, the humble and the powerful of the earth, men and women in Italy and in the entire continent, happy to have chose Christ and his Gospel.”

Concluding his homily, Cardinal Bertone said, “When I was ordained a priest 50 years ago, as every Salesian of Don Bosco, I was ready to begin the mission amidst young people. This indeed happened, but in a context full of ecclesial spirit: the Pontifical Salesian University, where I passionately devoted my energies.”

“Later came other responsibilities which made me love the particular churches to which I was sent, and with them, the universal Church even more.”

Copyright © CNA (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/)

Departing Catholic University president turned school around but sowed divisions, some say

Departing Catholic University president turned school around but sowed divisions, some say

The Washington Post (like their northern cousin, the NYT) likes to make ad hominem and non sequitur arguments. Since many schools no longer teach Aristotlean Logic, it is no wonder that more readers don't rebuke the paper for making these fallacies.

Bishop Elect David O'Connell, CM, is a friend of mine and my former canon law professor. He was the best thing Catholic University ever had. As President of the college, he restored Catholicism to its rightful place of honor. He is 100% orthodox and expected the same from his department of theology. He required the mandatum and had professors take the oath of fidelity. The fact that he was not popular to EVERYONE is a good sign since only a sychophant tells everybody what they want to hear. Dave O'Connell told people what they NEEDED to hear. Under his adminstration, a huge increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life came about after graduation. During his tenure, Eucharistic Holy Hours were held on campus and students actually attended them, willingly and often. He made a few enemies and some opponents but they were the ones who espouse heterodoxy, dissent and contrary moral behavior. The Diocese of Trenton is BLESSED to have him as their coadjutor. And there is also the pastoral, priestly side of Bishop-Elect O'Connell, as well. He was, is, and always will be first and foremost a PRIEST. Administrator, Scholar, Teacher, Co-worker, Leader, Friend ... but most of all, an ordained priest and soon to be Bishop. He will shepherd the Diocese like he did CUA. With TRUTH and CHARITY. ad multos annos. ecce sacerdos magnus.

New Yorks Times and All the News That's UNFIT to Print

The infamous New York Times launched a scud missile at Pope Benedict XVI. In an article replete with ad hominem and non sequitur fallacious arguments, the bible of the secular press engaged in nothing less than a total character assassination of one man. The heinous evil of sexually abusing children repulses every decent human being regardless of their religious, political or economic affiliation or situation. Nevertheless, the righteous indignation at a gross injustice and grave evil cannot succumb to the temptation to find a scapegoat. There are no simple answers to this complex problem. Child abuse is truly a diabolical evil but it has no boundaries. It is not a by-product of a celibate male priesthood since most cases of this horrid practice occur in the home by married laymen. Any instance is intolerable but the facts still remain that the overwhelming majority of child abuse is done by a parent, sibling or other relative. According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, of approximately 772,000 child abuse and neglect victims in 2008, of the largest percentage of perpetrators, nearly 80% were parents of the victim, including birth parents, adoptive parents, and stepparents. Of the parents who were perpetrators, more than 90% were biological parents, about 4% were stepparents, and about 1% were adoptive parents. Other relatives accounted for an additional 6.5%, and an unmarried partner of a parent accounted for 4.4% of perpetrators.

The next groups of culprits were neighbors, teachers, coaches, scoutmasters and at the end of the line, clergy (of all denominations, Jewish, Protestant as well as Catholic). But the media does not report the crime IN CONTEXT. The public is led to believe this is a ‘Catholic’ phenomenon. This is supposedly a result of not having married clergy and no ordination of women, according to some. Yet, the facts prove that child abuse is done by both men and women, married and single, laity and clergy. Evil does not discriminate among its membership.

What is most outrageous is the tone and attitude of this article. Conjecture and supposition permeate it like cockroaches in a cheap tenement. It is a fact that a small minority of Catholic clerics engaged in reprehensible and vile behavior of robbing children of their innocence through sexual abuse. It is also a sad fact that some bishops made the conscious decision to transfer these deviants to other parochial assignments rather than isolate them from further potential victims. Why? If the NYT would have shown documentation proving that Rome had given orders to respond in this way, then they would have had a credible case. On the contrary, the Vatican issued the Code of Canon Law in 1917 and then a revised code in 1983 which gave a mechanism to identify, adjudicate and penalize offenders. The universal law of the Church applied to all nations, all dioceses, all bishops and all priests. Clerics who misbehaved were never given a green light to clandestine transfers in the dark of night. No bishop was told to hide pedophiles or cover-up misdeeds. Due process is part of Canon Law as it is part of civil law. No matter how despicable and putrid the crime committed, the accused is presumed innocent until PROVEN guilty.

Imagine what the New York Times would say if a policeman or FBI agent for that matter, arrested citizens purely on credible accusations and then sent them to prison without any trial whatsoever. Anyone, liberal or conservative, democrat, republican, libertarian or independent, would rightfully scream ‘foul.’ Innocent until proven guilty is the hallmark of American jurisprudence and the weight of argument falls on the prosecution not the defense. Once guilt has been ascertained (either by admission or by juridical trial) then proper penal measures can be enacted. Since canon law is based on ancient Roman Law, there is no necessity of reaching ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’. Therefore, canonical trials which also do not require juries, can more expeditiously adjudicate than our civil court system.

The fact that some bishops did not utilize the due process or the diocesan tribunal is not the fault of any Pope. The law was there. The process was available. The sanctions could have been imposed. Why were they not and why was the choice made to apparently sweep matters under the rug? Many of us would like to know but it is illogical to infer that de facto it was the fault of the Roman Pontiff. He issued the Code of Canon Law which contains a juridical process and gives penal sanctions for offenses. If some refuse to employ those means, how does that incriminate the lawmaker himself? Unlike LBJ who could send troops to implement federal law banning racial segregation, the Pope cannot send Swiss Guards to reign in miscreant clerics or inept hierarchs.

The child sex abuse scandal is systemic. It is not isolated in a vacuum. According to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Report, most of the cases occurred during the mid-1960’s to mid-1980’s with sporadic instances before and after. Most culprits (68%) were ordained between the years 1950 and 1979. Pope John Paul II was chosen head of the church in 1978. Cardinal Ratzinger did not work for the Vatican in the CDF until November of 1981. The breadth and scope of the scandal, however, did not come to light until 1992 when many victims came forward with their tragic accounts. The abuses occurred before then and so did the response by local bishops. As an American, I feel some shame that my country had enslaved a whole race of people for over a century but at the same time, there is no culpability nor can there be any blame for those of us who were born well after the Civil War and the emancipation of African Americans. How then can Pope Benedict be blamed for actions or lack thereof when he was not Pope or even when he was not head of the CDF?

It cannot be forgotten that during this timeframe when most abuse cases took place, the predominant professional opinion among psychiatrists and psychologists was that sexual deviancy was curable and could be treated successfully. Bishops were led to believe that sex abusers could be healed. After sending some to treatment centers, and being given a bill of good health, these guys were often reinstated. They were told by many in the medical field that it was just like treating the alcoholic priest. What they all overlooked was that even alcoholism is never cured. One is always an alcoholic, just that a person is either sober or not depending on their treatment and strength of will. The struggle for sobriety never ends. Alcoholism is also more a physiological disease than a moral weakness. Whatever the causes of sexual deviancy, the culpability is much more pronounced and the evil much more pernicious.

The point is, however, that at the time much of the abuse took place, when a credible accusation came forward, many bishops acted in good faith and did what the general public did, trust in modern medicine. It is only within recent times that we have had Megan’s Law enacted to alert the public about child abusers living in our neighborhoods. Convicted, sentenced and released after serving their time, most people today realize this is not a treatable condition. That was not the common wisdom, though, fifty years ago.

During the period between the Second Vatican Council and the death of Pope Paul VI, the sexual revolution hit America and the world. The birth control pill was invented and casual, recreational, and unmarried sex permeated the culture. Homosexuality was take off the DSM as a disorder and deemed a lifestyle choice. Abortion became legal across the USA and dissent from Humanae Vitae ran rampant in Catholic colleges, universities and seminaries around the nation. In this fertile ground of moral ambiguity and the decline of marriage and family as the backbone of society, we find the preponderance of cases of sex abuse of children by clergy. Since priests are first laymen in the world, what infects the secular world will have an effect on candidates for the priesthood. The lack of moral conviction and the disdain for institutional discipline affected many people, even those who eventually entered service to the Church. There is NO EXCUSE for the misbehavior of anyone, let alone the satanic crime of abusing children. But we have to understand the environment and conditions which allowed this filth to nurture and grow. Bacteria likes a dirty location because it will thrive. So, too, for the spiritual infection we call sin.

There was a moral and spiritual malaise prevalent among many Catholics during the mid-sixties to mid-eighties. We had crackpot whackos celebrating Clown Masses and diluting doctrine to the point of irrelevancy. The banal and pedestrian worship of the time threatened not just reverence but orthodoxy itself, due to lex orandi, lex credendi. JP2 came along and did his best to open the eyes of the Catholic world to TRUTH. The truth that morality and faith and liturgy are intertwined and interconnected. The truth that human life is sacred. That human sexuality is sacred when contained within the boundaries of the sanctity of marriage. That the worship of God is not the worship of the ego, mankind, the culture or Mother Earth, but the adoration of the One, Triune God. That being good and doing good are not just goals but prerequisites to eternal happiness.

Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI are gifts from God to the Catholic Church and to the world. The attack on both their reputations is no surprise since Scripture itself warns us about the Devil being like a roaring lion seeking to devour. We are also assured that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Holy Mother Church OR the Vicar of Christ who was established by the founder to govern that institution in His Name.

The shameful and ugly crimes committed by a very small percentage of clergy (4%) is still unacceptable but at the same time cannot be ascribed as culpable to either JP2 or B16. Neither committed these dastardly deeds and neither covered them up. Both responded as they became aware of what was happening. Subsidiarity was a buzz word of the post-Conciliar church but it is a valid concept. Each bishop has to answer for his own diocese and what he did or did not do just as a pastor I am responsible for my parishes. We have a hierarchy and a chain of command but the Church is not the military and it is not a corporation. She is the Mystical Body of Christ and must work organically. We cannot blame the Pope for every violation and crime committed by individual members. Micromanagement was never promoted in the Gospels, Acts or Epistles of the New Testament.

Without incontrovertible documentation, it is slander and calumny to ascribe blame to Pope Benedict and worse yet, to infer a hidden agenda. As Cardinal Prefect of the CDF it was his job to reprimand promoters of heresy. His job was not to be the Attorney General of the universal church and be Church-Cop to the world. He was given the mandate from Christ to teach, sanctify and govern the Church but also to employ the assistance of the ordained to serve in the local area. We do not need more laws and regulations, rather we need those in authority to use the tools already available to them. We also need to be consistent and be as vigilant to eradicate and prevent child abuse from ALL areas, family, church, school, etc. The protection of the innocent is everyone’s business. Lining up firing squads and witch hunts are not viable solutions. Prosecuting the culprits in the proper manner is what a civilized people do. Recriminations and conjecture are not tools of justice.

Noted priest: John Paul II was fooled by Maciel

Noted priest: John Paul II was fooled by Maciel

My response to an inquiry from Matt Abbott

Noted priest: John Paul II was fooled by Maciel
By Matt C. Abbott

The stench of the late Father Marcial Maciel's rotting corpse still permeates the air and continues to make headlines, so to speak.

What struck (and disturbed) me was a recent quote by Maciel's son — whom Maciel reportedly abused — Raul Gonzalez, who said: "My dad [Maciel] told my mom that when John Paul II dies, he was going to be in trouble."

To those who revere John Paul II, that quote should be troubling.

What do we make of the late pope's "role" in the Maciel/Legion of Christ/Regnum Christi scandal? I asked Father John Trigilio Jr., author and president of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, to comment on the media's portrayal of this matter.

Said Father Trigilio in an e-mail (slightly edited):

"The mainstream media's addiction to anti-Catholicism is no less voracious than a junkie on heroin. Pope John Paul II is not alive and cannot defend himself, so some in the secular press feel even more emboldened to trash his reputation by making preposterous allegations. Only a coward hits a man when he is down, but even worse is someone who kicks a dead man. What bravery or honor is there in trashing someone who is unable to defend himself?

"Innuendo, implications, and theories make good pulp fiction but would never stand in a court of law. Hard, cold, objective evidence. That's what a judge and jury want, but audiences watching TV or getting entertained by the news are seeking something other than the truth. Hence, the media recreate history and reality. They re-define what actually happened. Conjecture and supposition are not proofs of guilt. Yet, is not a man innocent until proven guilty? That apparently does not apply when you are a Catholic cleric.

"If the secular press did this to people in the business, political, sports or entertainment world, they would be sued for defamation of character, slander and libel. When it's a bizarre story about a priest, bishop, or best yet, the pope, there seems to be more zeal to believe the most incredulous of accusations.

"Marcial Maciel was the most clandestine person the world has ever seen. He was a master of deception and deceit. Like a double-agent spy, he fooled everyone, especially his own colleagues. His secret life of betrayal was not unique, however. A famous TV reporter had two wives and two families, one on each coast, and neither one knew about the other until he died. It can be done. Government, corporate and military folks have spied on the U.S. for decades and escaped detection. How? They're good liars. That a priest could cover-up his misdeeds and have children and 'wives' in different towns, states and countries is not beyond the realm of credibility when you're dealing with a crafty person. If it can be done in the secular world, it can often be done in the religious — even though it's morally forbidden and reprehensible.

"Maciel fooled even the pope. It's been done before. Papal infallibility applies only to solemn definitions on faith and morals; it is not a guarantee of superb prudential judgment. Holy, saintly popes have been duped and deceived by bad people. The world has been fooled time and time again, whether it was an alleged flying saucer or a balloon initially reported to have a child aboard. Hence, I'm not scandalized that Maciel fooled someone as intelligent and sophisticated as John Paul II.

"The SIS and the CIA were fooled into believing that Saddam Hussein had 'weapons of mass destruction,' and they in turn convinced the U.N. and the world of this. Smart people can be deceived. It's not a moral weakness and it's not a culpable matter. Being duped does not imply or infer any formal cooperation. Being fooled does not make you an accessory or collaborator.

"Then why do allegations on national networks come up now attempting to vilify John Paul II? He was unaware of Maciel's hidden and secret life, just as many were unaware of the now notorious sleeper spies and moles in the FBI, CIA, British Intelligence and so on. We live in a post-Da Vinci Code era where fact and fiction get blurred to make entertaining material. It has crept into and infested the secular media as well, especially when it concerns religion and most of all when it deals with the Catholic Church.

"Note the staunch defense of detractors to Pope Pius XII, even when evidence is amassed day by day and year by year that he did not turn his back on European Jews during World War II. Rather, he did all and everything in his power to save and spare as many as he could. His response in the 1940s may have been different to what a pope in the 21st century would do, but we also live in an age where information floods every vehicle, from radio, TV, print and the Internet.

"Half a century ago, there was such a thing as news blackouts and state propaganda (ala Josef Goebbels). Golda Meir, prime minister of Israel and the chief rabbi of Rome all praised Papa Pacelli at the end of the war for his efforts to save and help Jews from Nazi evil. He did not and could not save them all, but he did a lot more than Franklin D. Roosevelt or Winston Churchill, who had armies at their disposal. It is fashionable today to insult the memory of Pius XII as if given he did little or nothing to help Jews during the war. Evidence proves the contrary, but the Da Vinci Code culture thrives on conspiracy.

"A gullible person will believe John Paul II knew about Maciel's double or triple life and just took a blind eye and deaf ear to it. Rational people, however, will see things as they are: An evil man (Maciel) fooled good and even holy people. Again, it's been done before and will be done again. Only a fool would fall for the ludicrous trap that being deceived makes you share in the culpability of the one perpetrating the deception.

"I would never attack the families Maciel deceived, either. They were innocently fooled. So was Pope John Paul II and so were many of us who were duped by a master impersonator."

© Matt C. Abbott

Some Vatican Humor Before the Summer Break

found this on YouTube

Papal audience on the 'Summa Theologiae' of Saint Thomas Aquinas

Bishop Joseph McFadden Appointed Ordinary of Harrisburg

MOST REV. JOSEPH P. McFADDEN

10th Bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

ECCE SACERDOS MAGNUS

ad multos annos

Ecclesiastical rumor has it that Bishop Joseph McFadden of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be named the 10th bishop of Harrisburg by Pope Benedict XVI on June 22. His Excellency replaces Bishop Kevin Rhoades who was transferred to the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend January 13, 2010.

Born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, the Most Rev. Joseph McFadden attended Saint Joseph's University and was a high school teacher and basketball coach before entering St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, from where he obtained his M. Div. He was ordained to the priesthood by His Eminence John Cardinal Krol on May 16, 1981, and served as private secretary to Cardinal Krol for eleven years. He served as president of Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield from 1993 to 2001, whence he became pastor of St. Joseph Church in Downingtown.

On June 28, 2004, McFadden was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia and Titular Bishop of Horreomargum by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on the following July 28, 2004 from Justin Cardinal Rigali, with Bishops Robert Maginnis and Michael Burbidge serving as co-consecrators, in the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul.

WELCOME TO THE CAPITAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH, YOUR EXCELLENCY

Word from mother Philadelphia is that the new bishop will follow in the tradition of his predecessor who was well loved among the faithful throughout the diocese. While he will be sadly missed in the Metropolitan See, he will be warmly welcome to his new home in the Capital Region (a.k.a. Central Pennsylvania) 

Bishop Rhoades' predecessor, Bishop Nicholas C. Dattilo (who succeeded William Cardinal Keeler), spoke of his first ad limina visit to the Eternal City. Pope John Paul the Great met with the Bishops of Pennsylvania and New Jersey and each Ordinary spent a few minutes with the Pontiff. When Bishop Dattilo got his turn, JP2 asked Bishop Dattilo to show the Holy Father on a map of the Commonwealth where the Diocese of Harrisburg was located. Pointing to the central region, the Bishop mentioned that Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania.  "Capital?" "Harrisburg?" "Not Philadelphia?" replied the Pope. [Harrisburg has 250,000 Catholics, about 12% of the population while the Archdiocsese of Philadelphia has 1.5 million, about 40%]  Bishop Dattilo quickly responded "well, Your Holiness, they think and act like they're the capital at times, but the governor and legislature are still in Harrisburg." Then the familiar smile appeared on the Pontiff's face.